Fanfic:Journey of the Warriors/Chapter 2 - The Fortress of Temul
Levon and I continued our journey through the tunnel near the base of the complex. Above me, I could hear audible movement and speech, as the ventilation systems were not soundproof. Through one vent, which made a line from the roof to the floor of the tunnel, I could hear perverse echoes from the conjugal visit room. The further we walked, the less the sound grew, until the only sounds we hear were the echoes of our own speech through the tunnels and the sound of the Earth in her works. We were approaching the foyer of the employee area; this is where we would begin our ascent up the spiral staircase leading to the guard chambers, map room, and observation room. Employees were to register and sign in daily at the bottom of the tower, which, long ago, had been built into the ground. The prisoners were registered and showered in the area right above us. The showers were in two sections; maximum security blocks each featured their own set of twenty free-use showers, and the registration, crew, and mandated-use showers surrounded the central tower. Minimum security had showers situated in the basements below their cells. ---- Many years afterward, as I sat in Loc-Lac city's arena, I witnessed a similar building; a central tower was surrounded by expansive plumbing that, when powered on, would shoot jets of water at extreme velocities across those below. Looking back, it was likely a prison shower for the adjacent prison of Loc Lac. I couldn't help but wince as I saw the cruel men turn the water on and off, arbitrarily taking and giving the only water that the prisoners had seen or tasted for a long time. I confronted him after. His reply will never be forgotten: "Why should I stop? Are they not criminals? Are they not substandards? Besides, I like giving hope--they were never supposed to have any water," the irritable, small-eyed lad said. The limits of human cruelty may never be found... ---- As we approached the staircase, Levon commanded me softly to turn right. Before me was suddenly a small, dark, molded room, where a bent and crumpled old man sat eyeing me. He looked as if he himself may have been dusty and moldy. If it weren't for his place and location, I would have thought the pale, tight-skinned sire was dead. "H-Hello, good sir, I believe--I believe I'm correct in saying you're--" I began, before the old man finished my sentence with unexpected fire. "I'm the registrar, yep, put yer name and ID number down here," He said, pointing with a sharp, unkempt finger towards the empty registration paper. "I'll fill in the rest," he continued, and handed me a pen. I filled in my name and identification number. The ancient man looked up and smiled. "Yes, yes, that's it, that's it," He said, and begun to fill in more of it. I turned around; Levon had disappeared. My mouth gaped open briefly. From behind me, I hear the mechanical pen click against the desk. "Hmm," He grunted, "I don't quite know where--yes, where Levon went. How humorous--he must think you'll be able to get where you need to go. Funny, funny. He's always a quirky one." The old man said. He got up and plucked the papers from his desk, placing them in a cabinet and saying something unintelligible into a microphone by him. An old, decrepit thing it was--like everything else in the dark room. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. But while you're here, why don't you sit down a while? Always nice to see a fresh face. Or a face at all!" He chuckled. "I don't actually come out of this room more than twice a week. Behind my chair, you see--that's my room. A bed, a radio, food, everything a simple man needs. So sit down a while! I have time. I'm just the bookeeper. A prison doesn't have that many books to keep, anyway..." There was a chair nearby. I leaned down, dusting it off and looking curiously at the man. He motioned, with his head, for me to sit down. I did so, listening to the painful squeak of the chair as I settled in it. "So, who exactly are you...?" I asked the man. He grinned. "So you can talk! It's David. Nice to meet you," He said as he stretched his hand and arm out in a gesture of kindness. I shook it curiously and relaxed a little. "My name's...John. I'm a new employee here--" "That much is obvious," He commented. "And I'm going to be on outer night patrols, I'm told. Mind shedding a little light on this?" At this, David's face lit up with bare curiosity. He smiled. I could sense the gears turning in his mind. It was as if he was musing the prudence of explanation, uncertain what the possible consequences could have been. "Ah, oh, very well. OK. That means you'll be patrolling at night, on the outermost ring of guards. You'll meet several good men that'll introduce themselves as Lieutenants of the V-S." The man said. The previous silence of the room was broken by the sounds of people walking down the stairs. "Yes, he's a good lad," Levon's voice said. It echoed down the stairs and David and I looked up, towards the stairs. "That so? Well, he should fit right in! Lots of good lads here. Maybe it's not been too long for you to remember that!" The other voice said. After a minute, the voices' feet appeared on the spiral staircase and we relaxed. One hand of he who walked first gripped the solid metal rail that spiraled down; the other seemed to rest lightly on his armament. As I saw Levon's and the stranger's face appear out of the darkness, I noticed Levon curiously eyeing the stranger's sidearm. It was a .45 war-issue light Gun, traditionally used in wars and small monster hunts. ---- After my time at the prison, I didn't see another weapon like that for nearly twenty-three years. When I did, I was sitting outside my home, on the porch, watching the sunset. It was just after a Mogan Army parade. One of the soldiers walked up to my home and queried me: "Say, fellow, where's the local tavern here?" The young soldier questioned. I mused upon silence. The day was perfect for silence and mystery. As he turned around, my eyes were drawn to his armament at his right. "It's down this street, and directly to your right," I said, "just like that Bolt .45 Caliber army-issue," I finished. "I haven't seen one in lots of years..." The soldier looked only looked mildly surprised. However, I did not converse further with him; I closed my eyes and looked up, acting as though I had fallen asleep. After what seemed like a long time, the young soldier moved on. I opened my eyes and watched him on his way. "A true nowhere and nobody kind of man. Poor lad -- he's as blind as an old man..." ---- The stranger wore Lagiacrus armor, and a generous amount. It looked highly professional and had clearly been upgraded many times. His helm gleamed even in the dark, as if no amount of shadow could blot out the eternal fluid light of the Lagiacrus. His vambraces were visibly blue, and they, too, stuck out against the darkness of the room. He looked truly elegant, and quite dignified. I was in awe; surely I stood before a great General? The stranger looked at me curiously. "Is there something of me that interests you?" the man asked. Levon was momentarily embarrassed; for a moment, he thought the man was talking to him. I quickly averted the situation with an answer, however. "No, no, I was just sizing you up -- first day at a new workplace, I'm sure you know the feeling," I awkwardly replied. "Not since a long time ago. Oh well. Anyway. It's good to see someone new. We've been kind of understaffed of late -- monster attacks have increased. We even spotted a Ceadeus about two miles from here the other day! Let's hope you're the right stuff for the job." The stranger said. "I'm Kepi. Nice to meet you." The guard continued, extending his hand in a gesture of kindness. I shook the outstretched hand and smiled. "Yes, well, I'm John, and I suppose we need to get going, correct?" I replied. "Yes, John -- what a name! I haven't heard such a purportedly "common" name in a long time." The man said, smiling and turning around as he began to hurry up the staircase. "I imagine you all don't get visitors much, though, no?" I asked. "Indeed not. Prisoners, mostly," He said. I nodded to Levon and we began the long walk up the stairs. The staircase lead all the way from the lowest floor to the highest. On the ground floor, employee sign-in and prisoner registration occupied a particularly large room; surrounding it were the shower rooms, which were little narrower than this one and stretched on three sides around it. The other side contained a chamber, a dark and silent one which was forbidden to prisoners. Employees called it the antechamber of Hell. I would soon learn why. The room above the room in which we -- Kepi, Levon, and I -- signed in for our shift was the map and conference room. Whenever monster attacks, bad weather conditions, or raids were predicted, that room would be used to prepare for whatever came their way. It was also, I found out soon, where the prisoners to be "strained", as they said, were decided, and what to do so with. Kepi, I found, was actually a Wyvernian General who had volunteered to work here, directing the V-S on their duties at the most important and deadliest positions. As he spoke of this prison more and more, I grew gradually more concerned of my future here. This place was beginning to look like quite an evil... "All right, we're signed in. Now, on to the Games. This is what we call "Straining" a prisoner..." Kepi said. "Continue to the third floor with me. There's a bridge that leads to the seating there. The seating's actually right above minimum security, and we let the prisoners watch sometimes. Since you're new here, I figure you ought to get a good look at how things are done here -- particularly to the worst criminals. You'll soon see." He finished. Kepi then directed me to the stairs, and we climbed up them to the third floor. This was the observation room, and was without walls, though it possessed an opening roof. From here, Kepi pointed a long, blue-armored finger towards the distant wall, which revealed the expanse of seating on the far facade. Category:Fan Fiction